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Cordless drill match-up: Makita vs. Milwaukee

I'm getting ready to buy a new drill, and I've narrowed it down to two choices: Makita 18v Li-ion or Milwaukee 18v Li-ion. I like the fact that the MW has a bit holder, and by what I've heard, the batteries are a bit more reliable than the Makita. But the Makita seems to have gotten a lot of good press and charges a battery in only 15 minutes. So I need a bit of input here: which one would you pick?

I'm a hobbyist WW'er, but stay fairly busy in the shop, and I want a good, tough, reliable tool.

For me, I would get the dewalt 18v xrp drill. In terms of durability and battery life IMO its the best one I have used professionally. Not really a fan of Makita, Milwaukee makes awesome sawsallz but never have I used their drills.

You might also want to look at Bosch. I have five different Bosch drills/impact drivers/hammer drills. All well made, the cordless charge up fast, hold a charge for a good long time, very ergonomic, nice cases...I've been very happy with Bosch power tools.

If it were up to me I would get a Panasonic 15.6v NMH. More compact/comfortable/ergonomic. Plenty of torque, tough.

Panasonics aren't commonly available at the borgs, but are well worth seeking out.

-kg

I was originally going to get the Panasonic, but by what I've read and heard, the Li-Ion batteries are better than the NMH, and the Pany doesn't have a bit holder, which is something I really like. Any idea how the two battery types compare?

Try a Makita Combo

I have the Makita and I am very happy with it. The Li ion batteries are great. Look at the drill/impact driver/flashlight combo which sells for around $250 on Amazon. I use my impact driver more than my drill.

I'm sorry, I can't comment on latter driver as I don't own it. But, I use my LXT202 kit on the job and around the house. It's always ready and drives what I need it to, from drilling holes into concrete for Tapcons (and then inserting said Tapcons) to hanging cabinets to.....whatever else I need to do.

I'm getting ready to buy a new drill, and I've narrowed it down to two choices: Makita 18v Li-ion or Milwaukee 18v Li-ion. I like the fact that the MW has a bit holder, and by what I've heard, the batteries are a bit more reliable than the Makita. But the Makita seems to have gotten a lot of good press and charges a battery in only 15 minutes. So I need a bit of input here: which one would you pick?

I'm a hobbyist WW'er, but stay fairly busy in the shop, and I want a good, tough, reliable tool.

Jim,

I've been around for awhile and I remember with cordless drills were a novelty not the norm. In the early days Milwaukee and Makita were the heavy weights of cordless drills. In the late 1980's (1988ish) I purchasd a brand new Makita 9.6V cordless drill for the low price in the 80's of 250.00! It came with one battery and a charger, I remember telling my wife and she about flipped.LOL What I am trying to say is the Makita I purchased was built like a tank, and I still use it to this day. Through the yrs I have replaced the chuck with a keyless chuck, purchased a couple of batteries, and sent it out ONCE to have it tuned up, new brushes,ect. Back then these two companies built the Cadallics of cordless drills but over the yrs I am not too sure anymore. I purchased another Makita cordless drill about 4 yrs ago and I never use it, I still use my order drill. The new drill does not seem to have the torque of my older drill and it feels more like the cordless drills I could purchase at Sears for 99.00 that would come with a charger, two batteries and a flashlight. I think if I were to make a decision on a cordless drill today I would go and purchase the Craftsman and when it died just throw it away and buy a new one. These drills being produced in China today are throw away drills and are not made to be repaired, replacement batteries are expensive and parts are hard to get for them. It sadened me when Makita stopped producing their cordless drills in Japan and moved to Mexico, that was the time the Makita seemed to lose a little of its luster.

I have a Milwaukee 14.4 V & a 18 V, both have NiCad batteries though if were to buy a new drill Panasonic would be my 1st choice they are the only company who builds their own batteries and have a great rep. from their users. The Milwaukee drills that I have are old enough to be still made in Germany and the 14.4 is my favorite drill and the only make that the battery can be reversed but since they are Chinese built now they are off my radar also have 3 Makita 9.6 V, a nearly bulletproof drill but unused due to lack of batteries but have no opinion about newer ones except they are also made in China.

DeWalt's yellow color does match a bodily function and that is in my opinion the best thing you can do with a DeWalt tool (they are a Black & Decker company).

I'm sorry, I can't comment on latter driver as I don't own it. But, I use my LXT202 kit on the job and around the house. It's always ready and drives what I need it to, from drilling holes into concrete for Tapcons (and then inserting said Tapcons) to hanging cabinets to.....whatever else I need to do.

HTH

note that the one mark mentions above, which i have as well, is the higher end line of makita cordless stuff, they grey ones are lesser in durability, battery life, etc. the green ones cost more for a reason .

that said if you're referring to the green makitas in your decision about which to buy, they are fine. will work all day under constant use, charge in about an hour, comes with 2 batteries so there's no downtime as long as you charge the dead one as soon as you take it out.

I've been around for awhile and I remember with cordless drills were a novelty not the norm. In the early days Milwaukee and Makita were the heavy weights of cordless drills. In the late 1980's (1988ish) I purchasd a brand new Makita 9.6V cordless drill for the low price in the 80's of 250.00! It came with one battery and a charger, I remember telling my wife and she about flipped.LOL What I am trying to say is the Makita I purchased was built like a tank, and I still use it to this day. Through the yrs I have replaced the chuck with a keyless chuck, purchased a couple of batteries, and sent it out ONCE to have it tuned up, new brushes,ect. Back then these two companies built the Cadallics of cordless drills but over the yrs I am not too sure anymore. I purchased another Makita cordless drill about 4 yrs ago and I never use it, I still use my order drill. The new drill does not seem to have the torque of my older drill and it feels more like the cordless drills I could purchase at Sears for 99.00 that would come with a charger, two batteries and a flashlight. I think if I were to make a decision on a cordless drill today I would go and purchase the Craftsman and when it died just throw it away and buy a new one. These drills being produced in China today are throw away drills and are not made to be repaired, replacement batteries are expensive and parts are hard to get for them. It sadened me when Makita stopped producing their cordless drills in Japan and moved to Mexico, that was the time the Makita seemed to lose a little of its luster.

Hey something I forgot, if quality is paramount and you want a drill that will last you 10 yrs or longer think Festool. They have a really cool 12V cordless drill with some really cool attachments. Now the sticker shock, the drill retails for about 450.00, I know this may seem steep in the days off 99.00 drills, but like the Makita I purchased back in the 1980's for the price of a house payment and is still running today, this drill will probably still be running 20 years from now. They are a brushless drill, and are guaranteed by Festool to screw 1 million screws! I have told my wife I would like one for Christmas, we'll see what happens.
Denny

Bob....The batteries I had for my 18xp dewalt which were many I couldn't get 1 yr out of. I own the Makita now & like it a lot. I think the dewalt had more power-torque though. I like the light on the Makita comes in handy.

The battery lifetime on the DeWalt stuff seems to vary considerably. The first cordless drill that I ever owned is a 12v DeWalt. The original 2 batteries are over 10 years old now and are still as strong as when they were new. My 18v DeWalt batteries are not as good, but the ones that have died on me were over 4 years old when they gave out. If the lifetime of the battery is a major factor in the purchase decision, then the Rigid drills deserve consideration also as Rigid will replace the batteries when they go bad under their lifetime service agreement.